New Delhi, July 2 -- Illumination has never made a better-reviewed movie than "Minions & Monsters." It is also about to post the weakest opening weekend any Minions film has ever had.

The animated sequel is tracking for somewhere between 60 million and 90 million dollars domestically over the five-day Fourth of July frame, according to Variety's box office analysis, with the studio's own estimate landing near 80 million. That range is unusually wide for a franchise entry this far into its release cycle, and the spread itself says as much about how uncertain this weekend has become as any single number would.

Whatever the exact figure, it will fall well short of the two most recent films to carry the Despicable Me name. "Minions: The Ris...